


Through the Thick and Thin of It

by Saoirse_Konstantin



Series: Tests [2]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 07:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23347753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saoirse_Konstantin/pseuds/Saoirse_Konstantin
Summary: Secrets cause broken hearts and cause worlds to turn upside-down. What happens when the person you thought always told the truth hasn't been? Veronica will need Logan more than ever as her world flips on its axis.  Logan is just the person to help her remember she isn't alone and has help.
Relationships: Logan Echolls/Veronica Mars
Series: Tests [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679263
Comments: 13
Kudos: 28
Collections: LV AU WEEK 2020





	Through the Thick and Thin of It

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to the Test. Many thanks to my BFFs, His_Beautiful_Girl and pyrodaemon, for beta-ing this and reading it over and over and over again. They rock. Love you both! And super duper special thanks to His_Beautiful_Girl for being my Summaries girl. I suck at summaries and she rocks at them, but it works for us cuz she says she sucks at Titles and I'm pretty decent at them. Anyway, thank you for yet another wonderful summary.

Veronica shifted in the seat for the tenth time in two minutes. Logan lifted their joined hands and placed a kiss on her knuckles before resting their hands on the table. “I know relaxing is out of the question, but at least act like you’re relaxed or he’ll figure out that all is not hunky dory in Mars Land.”

She chuckled and dropped the napkin she had been toying with. 

With a gentle uplifting of lips, he leaned closer. “You already have all the answers to the questions, Snookums. So, there’s no use freaking out until he tells the truth or not.”

After nodding, her shoulders squared, and the pair sat in comfortable silence. A minute later, Logan leaned closer. “He’s here. Just spotted him walking past the window. Pull on your big-girl panties, Mrs. Echolls. You can do this. I’m right here and I’ve got your back so say what needs saying and remember the signal. If you want out of here, tug on your earring. Okay? You got this. And remember no matter what, I love you.”

With a squeeze of his hand, she leaned into him. “I love you, too, Logan. Thank you for being here.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, or rather no one else I’d rather be with. There are several places I’d rather be _with_ you. After all, we still have rooms to christen in the house. I’d much rather be there doing _that_ than here, watching you use your teeth to abuse that lip I love to kiss. However, I’m not just here for the fun times, Veronica. We vowed for better or worse, so I’m here through thick and thin.”

After picking up his other hand off the table and toying with the wedding band, her lips tilted up a bit. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”

With another kiss to the top of her head, he sat back and held hands. A smirk formed on his face when he left the hand with his wedding band on top of the table, so the ring Veronica chose was in clear sight.

A moment later, Keith Mars bumbled over in an ill-fitting and wrinkled dress shirt, tie and suit jacket. Veronica and Logan stayed seated while Keith pulled out a chair. Anyone with any social training could tell this would not be a pleasant occasion.

Keith’s lips turned down and after settling in the chair, he folded his hands on top of the table. “Sorry, I’m late. The meeting ran over. So, Darling Daughter, what was so important that we have to meet for lunch, at the fanciest restaurant in Neptune no less. You know I hate this place.”

Veronica smirked and squeezed his hand. “I like this restaurant. Logan and I had lunch here with Grandma Reynolds last week.”

Keith leaned back and placed his hands on his round belly. “Ugh, what did that ole bat want? Is she still pestering you to go to finishing school before college?”

Veronica let go of his hand and reached down to the purse on the floor. After pulling out the reconstructed DNA test results Grandma Reynolds supplied, she set the pages on the table. “No, she wanted to give me these and tell me that Jake Kane wishes to rekindle a relationship.”

She pushed the papers towards Keith with her left hand, wedding set in clear view. Keith’s gaze dropped to the papers before flying up to meet her gaze while he sat ramrod straight. “Veronica Lianne Mars, what are you doing wearing wedding rings?”

Logan gave an arrogant smirk and leaned forward. “Point of fact, it’s Veronica Lianne Echolls, now. And, well, Keith, when a man and a woman love each other, they often pledge themselves to each other and _only_ each other. They do so for the rest of their lives in this neat ceremony they call a wedding. You should go to one sometime. We would have invited you to ours, but well, we only wanted people we trust there so Mac, Wallace and Dick were the witnesses.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed while he clenched his fists on the table top. “Since when doesn’t Veronica trust me?”

She picked up Logan’s hand again and entwined their fingers. “An interesting thing happened the other day when I overheard a call from someone named Elsa Mars who claimed to be your mother. The call came in as I walked in the door, so I let her talk to the machine. I was a little preoccupied with plans to tell you that Logan had proposed. But the news that a woman I had been told all my life died long before I was born was alive and calling you set off alarm bells. So, I kept the wonderful news to myself and entered research mode.”

She squeezed Logan’s hand again, his cue to tell part of the story. “The amazing thing is that it wasn’t difficult to find the answers. We found both of your parents alive and well and living in Beverly Hills about three blocks from the house I grew up in. The news that her grandparents are alive and very wealthy despite all your life lessons about learning to scrape by as a kid was a punch to the gut. Well, we pushed up the wedding and flew to Vegas while you were out-of-town chasing a bail jumper. Then we had lunch with my lovely grandmother-in-law last week and she gave us additional information which we would now like your take on.”

Keith scowled. “Has my daughter lost her voice? Since when do you talk for her? Or are you so controlling that you won’t even allow her to discuss family matters with her own father?”

With a shrug, he lifted their joined hands and kissed her wedding ring. “There you go showing how well you don’t know her. Do you think anyone speaks for Veronica without her express permission? I speak for her only when she asks me to and I’m not saying anything we haven’t discussed between ourselves and agreed needs saying. Ya know, like a healthy normal couple in a healthy normal marriage. But you wouldn’t know anything about a healthy relationship of any kind, would you, since your marriage was a sham, and you lied to and used your daughter. And I would never presume to control Veronica. We talk and decide things _together,_ not lord them over one another. Now, read over the documents Mrs. Reynolds gave us and give your side of the story.”

Keith huffed but slid the papers closer and leaned over the table. A moment later his head popped up. “Veronica, I can explain.”

She motioned with her free hand in a carry-on gesture, so he sighed and leaned back in the chair. “I come from old money, much like Lianne. Only I had a falling out with my parents. The pretentious snobs didn’t think Lianne was good enough to be a Mars, so they forbid me from marrying her. But I was in love, and I thought she loved me back, so we eloped, and the asses disowned me. They rewrote their living trust and will and made it so I would inherit nothing. However, my offspring will receive the bulk of the family estate on her twenty-first birthday. The estate is a lot more than you’d ever get from Jake’s family. So, I figured if I lied about you being mine and doctored a paternity test, you would inherit my family’s money. That way you’d never need or want for anything.”

Veronica leaned forward. “What does it matter? I’m set to inherit a trust from mom’s side of the family on my twenty-first birthday. And I’m their only grandchild. So, when Grandmother and Grandfather pass, I would have gotten more than enough to live comfortably and support a family. Though Grandmother informed us at lunch that I now will get everything. So what does it matter if I have _your_ family’s money? The Reynolds are in the top ten wealthiest families in the world. Plus, Logan would never let me need or want anything either. He takes care of me like I’m the most valuable thing on the planet. I will never lack for anything, even without the Mars fortune. So why bother lying? Why ruin everything when you were the one person who always swore he told the truth? And now, well, now you’ve told a set of pretty big lies that date back to my childhood. First lie was that your parents are dead, the second one was that you struggled growing up, and the third was that I’m your daughter. I signed away the rights to Jake’s fortune and you let me. That would have provided for me, too. What’s so special about _your_ family money that the money I’m already entitled to was worth throwing away?”

Keith’s shoulders sagged and he let out a heavy breath. “I didn’t want to break your heart and have you aware that Lianne betrayed us in such a way. You had no love lost for Jake, so it was better if you believed you were mine. And make no mistake, Veronica, despite what this paper says, you are mine in every way that matters.”

With a deep frown, her head shook. “I am not a piece of property. You don’t own me, but if you had told the truth, you’re right, I would have been yours in every way that mattered. Now, why lie about your parents being dead?”

His jaw clenched for a minute before he picked up a glass of water and took a sip. When he returned the glass to the table, he glanced at her. “They’re dead to me. It doesn’t matter that they’re still breathing. I don’t want the asses anywhere near my child. I wasn’t good enough for them so they don’t get access to you, and you would have wanted to meet them if you knew they were alive.”

She squeezed Logan’s hand and sighed. “So it had nothing to do with the terms of their trust. The way I hear it, your offspring would inherit ten percent of the family estate. On the other hand, _you_ would inherit everything else on my twenty-first birthday. Or was it a desire to keep me from knowing they exist so I couldn’t let slip that there was even a possibility I wasn’t yours? The papers I read make it clear, you only inherit most of the estate if you produce an offspring. If you adopted, you would receive a quarter of the estate. Only physically fathering a child will get you the full ninety percent.”

His jaw dropped for a split second before his head shook. “I don’t know where you heard that from, but it’s not true.”

Her smile held no warmth. “Funny story. Logan and I drove up to L.A. this past week and met my grandparents. Lovely couple, who informed me that until recently you would have inherited most of the Mars fortune on my twenty-first birthday. Until Grandma Reynolds informed them of your deceit. Now I’ll inherit the entire thing because I impressed them by visiting them and telling the truth. All without knowing Grandma Reynolds had already warned them. So this lunch is a formality to inform you that a.) I got married to the most wonderful man in the world who worships the ground I walk on. b.) You are no longer the Mars heir, I am. And c.) I don’t wish to see or hear from you for a while, so don’t contact me. If I’m ever ready, I’ll initiate contact.”

Then she tugged on an earring, so Logan stood. “Well, Keith, it’s been illuminating. Have a pleasant life.”

He helped Veronica out of the chair. After placing a hand in the small of her back, led her out of the restaurant before Keith could do more than gape.

Once they reached the car, he got her in. But she just sat there, staring off into space. So, he buckled the seatbelt before closing the door and running around to the driver’s side, getting in.

After pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road, he picked up her hand where it lay limp in her lap. With a gentle squeeze, he placed their joined hands on the stick shift.

When they got to the gate of the new house, he punched in the code and drove through. Once parked, he got out and jogged around to the other side again. Then he opened the door. Veronica didn’t acknowledge that the door was open or even that they were home. So, he unbuckled the seatbelt and lifted and carried her into the house. He got the door open without having to put her down and strode straight to the master bedroom.

When he lay her down on the bed, she grabbed hold of his shirt. “Don’t leave me. Please.”

“Never.” And he took off his suit jacket, kicked off his shoes, and slid hers off, tossing them towards the closet before lying beside her and pulling her into his arms. After kissing the top of her head, he tightened his hold. “Still no one else I’d rather be with. Whatever you need, Veronica. If it’s mine to give, I will, and if it’s not, then I’ll do my best to get it for you.”

She snuggled deeper into his chest and sniffled. Another sniffle followed, and soon she sobbed into his chest. He held her close, and the pair fell asleep.

When he woke a few hours later, the sun was low on the horizon as it shined through the bedroom window. Veronica’s soft snores blew in puffs against his dress shirt. One handed, he loosened and removed his tie and then lay back and considered his options.

Veronica was his world and for some strange reason she trusted him this time and trusted in them. They were working hard to keep the lines of communication open. All he had to do, if her old habits snuck in, was say, ‘Running.’ With that one word, she’d become a tree rooted in the ground before pressing forward and talking out whatever the issue was. He had no idea why she had such a drastic change of heart, but he liked it. This change would be the reason they would celebrate a fiftieth wedding anniversary in fifty years. He could feel it in his bones. This time would last. She chose him, so, now, he would show that he chose her back, so after kissing the top of her head and disentangling himself, he sat up. A chuckle rumbled in his chest when she scooted closer. So, he took the pillow that smelled like him and slid it into her arms before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

The lies Keith had told Veronica throughout her life had come to light in the last two weeks. Now, she knew the truth, the older man was not the upstanding man everyone believed he was. But one thing the man taught Logan was that the way to his love’s heart was through her belly. So, he began opening cabinets Mrs. Navarro had stocked up and took out everything he would need.

Mrs. Navarro was ecstatic to get a job offer from them. Logan had only one condition. She had to help Veronica teach him how to cook so he wouldn’t be entirely reliant on her services. That way she could take time off and spend it with her family and not worry he’d starve.

She had laughed and pinched his cheeks before agreeing, so now he took out the box of recipes he and Trina had helped decorate when they were little. It amazed him that Mrs. Navarro had kept the thing all these years, but he grinned at the proof there were those who had always loved him. Once he found the recipe for pancakes, he set to work. Even though it might be almost dinner time, breakfast foods would make his Bobcat happy.

An hour later, he slid the last pancake off the griddle and put it on the plate and arranged everything on the tray.

After filling two glasses with orange juice, he carried the tray into the bedroom. Setting it on the bed stand before climbing back into bed, he replaced the pillow with his body.

Once he settled, he reached over and grabbed a strip of bacon and waved it under Veronica’s nose. “Oh, Sugarpuss, time to wake up and feed the hungry beast.”

She stretched and groaned before snuggling closer. “Who are you calling a hungry beast?”

On cue her belly roared its protest at her not having fed it lunch, so she giggled, and he waved the bacon under her nose again. Her eyes fluttered open before she snatched the bacon out of his hand and gobbled it down.

They moved, so they were resting against the headboard and he picked up the tray and set it over her lap. She grinned. “Did you call Mrs. Navarro in on her day off?”

With a scoff, his head shook nice and slow. “Please. I paid attention during the lessons. This right here is a meal made with love by your one true love, the only man for you. Or at least so you said in the vows you made a few weekends ago.”

She pecked his lips before attempting to plunder his mouth, but almost tipped over the tray, so she pulled back a few seconds later. “Definitely the only man for me, _like ever_. Thank you for holding me and letting me cry.”

With a gentle uplifting of his lips he hugged her. “Hey, I’m aware of what a privilege that was. Few get to see the great Veronica Mars—”

“Hey, that’s Veronica _Echolls_ and don’t you forget it buddy.”

With a laugh, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “I stand corrected, but I still contend that few get to witness Veronica _Echolls_ cry over anything. So the fact you let me see your soft underbelly, well, that means the world, Veronica. We promised to make changes and make this work. And well, I’m trying to tell you I have noticed that you’re keeping up your end of the bargain. So, um, thank you for letting me love you how you deserve.”

With tears in her eyes, she kissed him again and tried to move the tray off her lap. But her stomach growled again, so he chuckled and pushed her away with a gentle touch. “Eat first. Get your strength and we can talk if you need to. And if not, when you finish, I can think of a few rooms that still need christening.”

She giggled and got serious about eating, all while smiling. After a minute, her lips turned downward, and she turned her head and stared at him. “It’s not about the money. I don’t care about your money, or the Reynolds’ or Kane’s, or Mars’ money. I’d be perfectly content without all of it. And there’s the rub. I _was_ perfectly content until I discovered the truth. The man I loved like a father has been lying to me my entire life and all just get a fortune he wasn’t entitled to. Though I’m also pissed that I lost out on eighteen years of knowing and loving my grandparents.”

He rubbed her back and kissed the side of her head. “Veronica, you are the one person in my whole life, okay maybe two if you count Mrs. Navarro, who has never cared about how much money I have. You rarely let me buy you things, so you don’t care what I might buy for you with my money either. I know what you’re upset about today. It’s the betrayal of trust and the fact he tried to use you, not that he tried to steal money that will now be yours. I can see you’re upset that he tried to steal the money in general, but you’re just not wired to have a great need for millions or billions. Provided you can pay your bills, you don’t care about money. I saw the list of pros and cons you made the other day about not charging to solve mysteries anymore. You don’t care about making a buck or having more than everyone else. That’s one of the many reasons I love you. And I will help you build an awesome relationship with your grandparents now. In fact, let’s invite both sets of your grandparents and my sister and our friends to a housewarming. That way we can get the ball rolling on building strong relationships between all of us.”

Her lips turned upward again, so she nodded and then pecked his lips again before grabbing a piece of bacon and feeding it to him. He chuckled while chewing, and then he made a game of seeing how much he could steal off her plate. After the fifth successful liberation of food, she moved the tray, so it was half on her lap and half on his, and they ate together.

That was the beginning of a tradition that would last through seventy-three years of marriage. Anytime one had a hard day, the other would cook, and they’d eat together in bed and talk it out. Through the years they added kids and grandkids to the mix, but the basis of the tradition remained the same. Caring and comforting for each other through the thick and thin of it.


End file.
